South MCD to throw open Bharat Darshan park in Punjabi Bagh within 2 weeks

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will open the mega Bharat Darshan Park in Punjabi Bagh, which has replicas of 21 monuments from across the country built using scrap material, within two weeks, officials said.

The park, spread over an area of 8.5 acres and being built at a cost of ₹14 crore, was slated to be opened by mid-September but work was halted due to heavy rainfall in the last month.

“Work is in its last stage. Only the Char Dham replica has some work left after which we will be ready to inaugurate the park. We are trying to open it by the end of the month or early October,” said a senior corporation official working closely on the project.

The park is inspired by the corporation’s Waste to Wonder park in Sarai Kale Khan, which has replicas of the seven wonders of the world, similarly built using scrap material.

The official added that discussions are on about the entry fee for visitors.

“The fee amount is still being worked upon. It may be the double of waste-to-wonder park, which is ₹50 on weekdays. It is still to be finalised,” the official said.

The waste-to-wonder park charges ₹50 entry fee for visitors aged between 12 and 65 years on week days and ₹100 on Sundays.

The park has replicas of major architectural sites from across the country, including Hawa Mahal, Meenakshi Temple, Khajuraho Temple, Konark Temple, Charminar, Mysore Palace, Junagarh Fort, Nalanda ruins, Sanchi Stupa, Hampi ruins and Ajanta and Ellora caves, among others.

The park also has amphitheatres for cultural events, a walking track of 1.5 km, fountains and ponds.

SDMC standing committee chairman Colonel (retd) B K Oberoi said that the park aims to offer a tour of the country’s major sites within two hours.

“The park is in its final stage and shall be thrown open very soon. We are also going to have a children’s park and smart illumination of all the replicas. We also plan to come up with a little train for children to take them around the replicas,” said Oberoi, adding that they will also open a food lounge to offer cuisines from across the country.

Oberoi further said that another park featuring statues of heroes of Indian history from across the country, “such as Jhansi ki Rani, Maharana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji, among others”, is also in the works and a proposal will be presented in the standing committee soon.

“The park is in planning stage at present. We plan to bring together freedom fighters and national war heroes depicting India’s history. Also, it will have inscriptions and a brief history of the story associated with a particular legend. It will provide a glimpse into the lives and history of the country’s heroes in one go,” he said.